


The Room Where it Happens

by GinnyK



Series: The World Turned Upside Down [3]
Category: Bull (TV 2016)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Backstory, Family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-26
Updated: 2018-09-26
Packaged: 2019-07-17 17:36:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,979
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16100489
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GinnyK/pseuds/GinnyK
Summary: A little backstory for Alexander Gibbons, an original character for the Series-The World Turned Upside Down.





	The Room Where it Happens

**Author's Note:**

> So I watched the season premiere this evening. And the slim hope I had of merging my series with canon flew out the window with the first glimpse of Marissa's wedding ring. So to an Alternate Universe we go. This story just kind of happened tonight as I was trying to process the episode. 
> 
> As usual, my thanks to Lin Manuel Miranda for the title.

Dr. Jason Bull stood up slowly, as had been his norm since the heart attack. He extended his hand over the table to the eager young man standing across from him.  “Alexander, it was very nice to meet you.  We do have a few other candidates to speak with but we will be in touch very soon,” Bull said warmly as he shook Alex’s hand.

“Thank you for meeting with me, Dr. Bull and Ms. Morgan.  I am very interested in the position and I feel that my education and interest in psychology and forensics would make me an ideal candidate for this position.  I look forward to hearing from you soon,” Alex replied politely as he reached to also shake Marissa’s hand.

“It was very nice to meet you.  I’ll walk you back out to the elevator,” Marissa offered.  Alex grabbed his leather portfolio and smoothed down his tie as headed out of the conference room.  Marissa headed out of the room also, glancing over her shoulder to say something to Bull.  “I love him” she mouthed, earning a grin from Bull who felt the same way.  But he also felt that with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a minor in Forensics, the eager young man was way over qualified to be Bull’s personal assistant.

Marissa walked Alex to the elevator, laughing to herself because every young woman in the office had her eyes on the young man.  At 6 feet tall with curly dark hair and a winning smile, it wasn’t hard to see why.

“Thank you again, Ms. Morgan.  Hope to hear from you soon,” Alex said as she shook her hand once more. 

“You will,” Marissa assured him as he slipped into the elevator with one last glance around the TAC office.

*****

Alex stepped out onto the street with a big grin on his face.  He knew the interview had gone well.  The whole idea of trial science fascinated him.  He could have talked to Dr. Bull and Ms. Morgan for hours. But the fact that it was an assistant position worried him.  He knew that his mother, who had worked very hard to help him through NYU, was expecting a bit more than an assistant position for him.

He pulled out his phone to check the train schedule.  It was 3:00 and he’d promised his younger brother Andy that he would be home in time to take him to the park to shoot some hoops before dinner at 6:30.  He bought a bottle of Coke from a street vendor and made his way to Port Authority to catch the bus back to New Jersey.

While on the bus Alex texted his mom to give her an update and to let her know he’d make it home in time to keep his promise to Andy.  He did his best to help his mom with Andy ever since his Dad had passed away from lung cancer two years earlier.  He was 20 when his Dad died, much more able to handle the situation than Andy who was just 7 at the time. It was just the three of them now.  While Alex had certainly hoped to move out on his own when he graduated he went back home to help his mom and to save money.

*****

Liz Gibbons was just putting the chicken in the oven when Alex came in the front door yelling for her.  “We’re in the kitchen,” she called in the direction of the front door.

Alex came into the room with a kiss for his mom and a high five for Andy.

“Can we go to the park?” Andy asked, clearly having been impatiently waiting for his big brother to return.

“Give me 15 minutes.  Change out of your school uniform and find the basketball,” Alex replied as he dropped his backpack on the kitchen chair.  Andy ran upstairs to change.

“Tell me your blazer isn’t stuffed in there,” Liz said as she pointed at the backpack.  Alex just gave his mom a guilty look and took the navy blazer out.  He shook out the wrinkles and set it over the back of one of the kitchen chairs before sitting down.  His mom clucked her tongue at him and leaned over to press a kiss to the top of his head.

Alex and his mom spent the next 10 minutes talking about the interview.  Liz shared her main concern about the position, which was the same one Alex had.  With a college degree he was looking for something more than an assistant title, even if he’d be the assistant to one of the most interesting people he’d ever met in his 22 years.

“Your 15 minutes are up.  And you’re still dressed in your nice clothes,” Andy announced as he skidded across the kitchen floor in his socks.  He sat down on a chair to put on his sneakers.

“I’m going, I’m going,” Alex assured Andy as he stood back up, grabbed his backpack and headed for his room.

*****

Later that night, after Andy was in bed and his mom was sitting and watching television, Alex logged on to his email and sent thank you emails to Dr. Bull and Ms. Morgan.  Although he didn’t hold out any great hope things would work out, he did send up a little prayer for a miracle.

He did a little Google searching on trial science in general and TAC and Dr. Bull in particular. With each page he read he became more and more excited about the remote possibility of working at TAC.

*****

The next afternoon Alex was at Starbucks with his laptop, a grande iced coffee and his job search.  His cell phone vibrated under a legal pad and he pulled it out.  The number wasn’t in his contacts but it looked vaguely familiar.

Five minutes later, it was all Alex could do to keep from dancing around and yelling “I GOT THE JOB” at the top of his lungs in the middle of Starbucks.  He shoved his laptop in his backpack, grabbed the coffee and went out to his car to call his mom.

He excitedly explained the call he’d gotten from Dr. Bull.  He was offered the job, but with more than the personal assistant title. They were still working on the exact title but the money involved was more than he could have ever hoped for and he’d be given the chance to learn more about trial science and help out with much more than getting coffee and sorting the mail for his new boss.

The job would start in a little over a week and a half.  Dr. Bull had been honest with Alex and explained that he was recovering from a heart attack and wasn’t actually back to work yet.  In fact he had only been at the office to do the job interviews the day before. 

*****

“Do you have to go to work every day?” Andy asked over ice cream later than evening.  Liz was at church choir practice and Alex had taken Andy out for some brother bonding time. 

“Monday through Friday, same as you’re in school,” Alex said as he reached out to wipe a bit of double chocolate ice cream off his brother’s chin.

“Will you be home when I get off the bus?”

“No, but maybe you can come around the corner to meet my bus sometimes,” Alex offered.

“Okay,” Andy answered as he bit the end of the ice cream cone off.  Alex just rolled his eyes and handed the boy a few napkins before he ended up wearing the rest of the ice cream.

“Come on, time for homework,” Alex announced as he ruffled his brother’s curly hair.  Andy reluctantly got into the car and put on his seatbelt. 

By 9:00 homework was done and Andy was in bed, reading.  Half an hour of reading was the only way he was allowed to stay up until 9:30. 

 

Andy had a hard time when Alex went back to school after their dad died.  He was thrilled when Alex moved back home after graduation.  After only 6 weeks he’d grown accustomed to having Alex around when he got home from school.  They’d spent a lot of time hanging out, playing basketball, playing video games and much to Andy’s chagrin, doing his homework.  Andy struggled a bit in school.  He had been diagnosed with ADD a year earlier and it had taken a few medication trials over the previous 9 months to hit upon something that both helped him and had few side effects.  Medication, a small private school and his family helped keep Andy on the right track academically.

*****

“So do they do experiments?” Andy asked as he and Alex were grilling hamburgers on the back deck the Saturday before Alex was set to start work.

“Experiments?” Alex asked, clearly a little confused.

“Science experiments? At your new job?” Andy asked curiously.

“Not science experiments like you do in school.  You know what a jury is, right?” Alex asked as he flipped the burgers.

“The people who decide if you go to jail, right?” Andy guessed as he bounced a pink rubber ball on the deck.

“Sort of.  Simple answer, trial scientists help to pick a jury who will vote for the way you want.  It’s about statistics, asking the right questions, helping witnesses get ready for court, stuff like that.  Does that make sense?”

“I guess.  Can I read about it?”

“Andy, would I ever keep you from reading about something?” Alex teased as he motioned for Andy to hand him the plate for the burgers.  Andy just rolled his eyes at his older brother. 

“I guess it sounds pretty cool.  So what will you be doing?”

“Not exactly sure.  When I first talked to them Dr. Bull was looking for an assistant.”

“You’re working for a doctor?”

“Not a medical doctor.  Anyway, Dr. Bull called me back and said he wanted me to do more that just be he assistant.  Pays more money too.  But I’m not sure exactly what that means.  He said I’ll be able to learn about the company and trial science,” Alex explained as he put the burgers on the table.  “Go tell mom these are done.”

“Mom did you know Alex is going to work for a doctor?” Andy asked as he took a bit of his cheeseburger.

“I did, sounds exciting doesn’t it?” she said with a smile, sharing her younger son’s enthusiasm.  Andy nodded with a mouthful salad.

After dinner Alex and Andy walked down the bay three blocks from their house.  They threw a football around and Andy stuck his feet in the very chilly water. 

*****

The 3 remaining members of the Gibbons family spent the day together on Sunday.  They went to church together, out to lunch at the Chinese buffet and then for a walk at a local park with farm animals which were a big hit with Andy.

Later that night, after Andy was in bed Liz poked her head into Alex’s room.  “You ready for tomorrow?  Need anything ironed?”

“No Mom, I’m capable of ironing my own clothes,” Alex teased.  “But thanks anyway.”

“I’m proud of you,” Liz whispered as she kissed her son on the forehead.  “Dad is too,” she added as she ruffled his hair.

“I know,” Alex whispered as he squeezed his mom’s hand.

*****

At 8:20 the next morning, Alex stood in the lobby of the TAC building. He smoothed down his tie and ran a hand through his curls.  He got onto the elevator and headed up to the office.

He stepped off the elevator and stopped in awe.  Standing for a minute he glanced around at the people, the equipment, the controlled chaos that was TAC.

This is it, he thought to himself…..the room where it happens.


End file.
